Tweets by @RuiPressBox

––––––––––

Unfettered remains undefeated with Norgor Derby victory

Lathrop Hoffman’s Unfettered was unchallenged and remains undefeated from four starts after a 10-and-one-half length romp in the $40,000 Norgor Derby over six furlongs on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Heza Wild Dragon shows promise with Mountain Top Futurity win

The Kristopher Cordova-owned and -trained Heza Wild Dragon showed he could have a very lucrative future with a late-running win in the $356,980 Mountain Top Quarter Horse Futurity for New Mexico-breds on Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Pajarita Sita tops Adequan qualifiers

Chin Lee’s Pajarita Sita sped to a daylight win in the first of three trials to establish the fastest qualifying time to the Adequan Ruidoso Downs Derby Challenge on Friday afternoon. ––––––––––

Unfettered after second stakes win in Norgor

Lathrop Hoffman’s Unfettered, unbeaten from three starts, goes for his second-straight stakes win in the $40,000 Norgor Derby on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. –––––––––

Ruidoso Futurity winner euthanized

Cartel Quick, winner of Sunday’s $750,000 Ruidoso Futurity and the only horse in the running for the Quarter Horse Triple Crown, was euthanized Monday morning due to kidney failure, according to owner Sergio Enriquez. ––––––––––

Ruidoso Downs announces support for Racing Free

The Racing Free team is proud to announce another race track stepping up and taking a stance against performance-enhancing drugs in racing. ––––––––––

Record Rainbow Futurity trials to be spread over two days

For the first time the trials to the record Grade 1, $1 million Rainbow Futurity will be held over two days – Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5 – instead of a the previous one day of qualifying races. ––––––––––

Close finish goes to Cartel Quick

It took a final push with a little more than 100 yards to go for a colt named Cartel Quick to win Sunday’s Ruidoso Futurity by little more than a nose.

––––––––––

Wicked Courage wins Ruidoso Derby

Andrew Smith’s Wicked Courage raced erratically but was controlled by jockey Cody Jensen, who had 10 screws and a plate surgically placed in his left collarbone 18 days ago, to hold on and win a tight $822,603 Ruidoso Derby on Saturday afternoon.

––––––––––

Trainer Fincher sets the pace in Mountain Top Thoroughbred trials

Trainer Todd Fincher won the first two of three trials to set the pace in the trials to the $167,000 Mountain Top Futurity on Friday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Ruidoso Derby Handicapping Analysis

The Quarter Horse stakes season gets underway in earnest at Ruidoso Downs this weekend. ––––––––––

NM Supreme Court rejects racino case

Racing Commission expected to address license next month ––––––––––

Tough testing pays off at Ruidoso Downs

The New Mexico Racing Commission and Ruidoso Downs affirmed their position on stringent drug testing on horses who competed during opening weekend at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Record-breaking races to run this weekend

Humans can’t predict what will happen the next day, much less the next hour – something which makes betting on horse racing seem like a fool’s errand much of the time. ––––––––––

Vernissage heads three trials to Mountain Top Futurity

Gary Thompson’s homebred Vernissage, second in the Copper Top Futurity Colt an Gelding Division, returns to head the three trials to the $167,000 Mountain Top Thoroughbred Futurity on Friday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Handicapping 101

Part of the fun of watching trials is handicapping the races, looking for what are known as “angles” that other handicappers might miss. ––––––––––

RUIDOSO FUTURITY FACT SHEET

21st Running of the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity ––––––––––

RUIDOSO DERBY FACT SHEET

20th running of the Grade 1 Ruidoso Derby ––––––––––

Exotic wagering made easy

There are two basic types of horse-racing bets - straight bets and exotic bets. ––––––––––

Watch Me Go surges for Free Spirit win

Raymond Simpson’s Watch Me Go drew away from a tightly packed field to handily win the $50,000 Free Spirit Handicap for the second straight year on Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Mitey Moon, Heza Wild Dragon lead Mountain Top trials

Mitey Moon and Heza Wild Dragon each raced to impressive wins to head the 10 trials to the $356,980 Mountain Top Futurity on Friday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Wiredfortwotwenty back For Free Spirit Handicap

Class Racing Stables’ Wiredfortwotwenty tries to return from an extended layoff when he starts in the $50,000 Free Spirit Handicap at six furlongs this Saturday at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Threedeewoodee heads Mountain Top trials

Gary Thompson’s Threedeewoodee, second in the New Mexican Spring Futurity, returns in the 10 trials to the record-setting Mountain Top Futurity this Friday at Ruidoso Downs. –––––––––– Wizardry pulls off First Lady win

Foxpointe Thoroughbreds and Greg Green’s 20-1 Wizardry swung to the outside in the stretch and pulled away to defeat 11 other fillies and mares in the $50,000 First Lady Stakes on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. ––––––––––

Im Royal Quick winner of Fine Loom

Anna Garcia and Jose Orquiz’s Im Royal Quick sprinted to the front out of the gate and never relinquished his lead. ––––––––––

Track record in Derby trials

Through the first five trials to this year’s Ruidoso Derby at Ruidoso Downs, not much was shaking.

––––––––––

One Quick Eagle lives up to her name

Racing fans knew they were in for a fast day of racing on opening day at Ruidoso Downs Friday when Ms First Prize Rose stopped the clock in the first trial to the Ruidoso Futurity. ––––––––––

Handicapping the Ruidoso Derby trials

The derby season at Ruidoso Downs begins on Saturday, as the track presents eight 400-yard Ruidoso Derby (G1) trials. ––––––––––

Handicapping the Ruidoso Futurity trials

The futurity and derby seasons at Ruidoso Downs are upon us. This is the time of year that everyone involved in Quarter Horse racing – from breeders to owners to handicappers – looks forward to.

To the Editor: The recent vote by the Lincoln County Commissioners Court to limit development in our county to only those properties having water rights has done two things. First, if you own a large tract of land that doesn’t have any water rights, your land just got devalued by at least 50 percent. You now own land that has no potential except for a single homesite or to be used for agricultural purposes. However, if you own a tract of land that has water rights, you love the vote taken by the Commissioners Court because your property just soared in value. You now own land that has development potential in a County that forbids all other properties to be developed. Given the above, can you think of anyone who might benefit by enacting such an ordinance? How about County Commission Chair Jackie Powell, Commissioner Preston Stone and Planning Commission Chair Jennie Dorgan? All three have financial interests in large family ranches in Lincoln County. Do they own water rights and, if they do, did they not realize their vote would result in a big monetary gain in the value of their land holdings? Both questions need to be answered. Buck Buchanan Ruidoso

To the Editor: I am writing this letter to address a major concern with the Village of Ruidoso water system and the village management’s ability to make conscientious good decisions as it pertains to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the village, business of the village and any would-be tourist staying in our many hotels and cabins. Turbidity can be a major health concern, which is why the US EPA and NMED monitor it. On or about June 8, 2012, Joe Savage and John Pijawka with NMED were performing a routine inspection of Grindstone Water Treatment Plant when they discovered filter in front of the turbidity meter. Further investigation by NMED and Village of Ruidoso Public Works Director Randall Camp determined that the Water Production Manager, Tom Stewart (not former county manager Tom Stewart) had placed the filter in line prior to the turbidity meter to skew the results seen at the meter. The turbidity meter has a chart recorder, which records turbidity values, and these charts are then analyzed and submitted to NMED. The documentation is filled out in a report and then signed by the Water Production Manager verifying the validity of the-reports and then submitted to the overseeing agency, in this case NMED. These reports were generated with false information, submitted with false information, all in an effort to show false numbers to the NMED. This is fraud. Camp notified the Village of Ruidoso Manager Debi Lee of the violation immediately. This written notice recommended termination of the water production manager for this very serious infraction. Lee elected to conduct an investigation on the infraction and determined that Stewart should not be terminated and that he had not committed any wrongdoing. I find it very interesting that Camp recommends termination of an employee for a willful major health violation and. Lee elects to overturn his decision and keep this employee. When Lee discovered that a criminal investigation would result she had an opportunity to fire Tom Stewart under his evaluation period and NMED might have seen that the Village was not part of the criminal act. Instead no action was taken against Stewart. The reason the turbidity monitoring is so important to NMED is because if the turbidity was high due to algae or other fungus, it could cause very serious health risk especially if the disinfectant used was inadequate. The village has been cited for inadequate disinfectant as well. In fact, the turbidity coming from algae and fungus sources could have been prevented by a competent operator. Going through the documentation provided by the Village of Ruidoso, it looks like Tom Stewart was still in charge of the Village of Ruidoso water production department into the early part of November. According to the emails it is apparent that Stewart lied to NMED about why the filter was there and Lee helped cover up his lie. In the documentation he stated it was to collect a sample to test and determine what the turbidity consisted of, but then he could not document the order given to take the sample, work order, or any other data. A certified operator knows it is illegal to do what he did and if a sample was needed it would be collected by a different feed-line from the one feeding the meter. This shows he did not request nor was he given permission from his superior to perform this installation. It was done on his own under his own authority. Being an engineer and citizen of Ruidoso, and having designed water treatment plants, I took serious interest into this issue and the lack of the village management to take corrective action. A willful violation that affects the health safety and welfare of the public should not be swept under the rug nor should it be tolerated by the overseeing agency, NMED. (I am in no way alluding that NMED tolerated this violation, as a matter of fact there is a pending investigation on the part of the Environment Department.) When Lee found out I was looking into this matter, an article was immediately published in the Ruidoso News down playing the importance of the non-compliant readings resulting of the removal of the filter. Nothing mentioned about the false data that was submitted to NMED. However NMED is looking at placing the Village of Ruidoso on Administrative Order. It is my opinion that Lee covered up the filter placement and in no emails or written documents that I have requested from the Village is it mentioned. Village of Ruidoso Legal Attorney, Dan Bryant, blocked most of what I requested under the F .O. I.A. (Freedom of Information Act) request because of a criminal investigation being conducted by NMED. He did make all other information available as charts including the turbidity meter charts, graphs, reports, and emails. Interestingly, like the Nixon tapes, some information on the graph is missing. This is either due to the removal of the information or again shows the incompetence of the manager to produce complete documentation. Carol Parker along with Melissa Mascarenas NMED is handling the criminal and/or civil portion. Mike Coffman with the NMED Operator Certificate Board is handling Stewart’s certificate to operate. It has also been brought to my attention that Coffman and Stewart are good friends and maybe this is why an incompetent operator who violates major health rules is still allowed to maintain his license. Any help from the A.G. (Attorney General) or other agency would be appreciated. It seems the Village of Ruidoso thinks they are above the law and can do whatever they want even at the risk of the health of people. The residents and businesses of the Village of Ruidoso are begging for something to be done. We aren’t sure if our next drink of water will be our last. Carl Kelly, Jr. Ruidoso